What are relics?

It is much, much, much more meritorious to see relics of the Buddha than to see other holy objects such as statues and stupas. It is like seeing the living, breathing Shakyamuni Buddha himself. – Chöden Rinpoche

I was sceptical going in . . . I left there amazed. My friend, who doesn’t believe in anything, was blown away. – Ben Easter

“Never done anything like this before”, one big hulk of a man said as he knelt down for a blessing. With tears in his eyes, he looked up and said, “Never expected that!” – Ani Rinchen

I consider myself a Christian . . . [but] this is for everyone. – Matt

I felt a tangible radiation of exquisite energy flowing from the relics to my heart center. It was highly private and personal, and yet conveyed an immense sense of oneness or unity with everyone and everything. – Dr Misha Manek

There is a feeling of profound unconditional love from the Buddha relics; that is the only way I can describe it. – Dr Misha Manek

The Buddha relics . . . point to an amazing concept, and this is very radical: that no physical flesh and blood body is required for a vehicle for consciousness! We are forced to go back to the drawing board. – Dr Misha Manek

[In Bhutan] more than 300,000 people queued for miles and waited for hours. People trekked for days through mountains and valleys on horseback, many by foot, and some even barefoot, to see the holy relics. – Andrea Bridger

[T]he relic of Lama Tsong Khapa emitted golden light to the visitors and members of the Korean Bikkuni Temple. This created a frenzy of excitement that brought around a thousand visitors every day. . . – Carmen Straight

[Lama Zopa] Rinpoche says relics emitting light showed that they are emanations of the absolute guru, the dharmakaya . . . and that relics illuminating is Buddha communicating with us, just like talking to us. . . – Carmen Straight

[T]he relics of the Buddha’s disciple Ananda multiplied – a large pearl relic appeared in the stupa – and even changed colour from dark brown to pure white. – Victoria Ewart

The people come and have the pure mind of faith. They make prayers and offerings with good intention. The result is that more relics manifest. – Victoria Ewart

Afterwards . . . there was a tremendous peace, an overwhelming peace in this area. . . . [W]hen are the Buddha relics coming back? – Sri Natha Devi

Her father. . .was virtually blind. When he saw the relics, he said that something happened to him. [His doctor] pronounced that his sight showed a seventy-percent improvement. – Fleur Chyta

Since he was born he had had a skin disease on his hands . . . his mother washed his hands with the water [blessed by the relics] and by the morning the skin disease had disappeared. – Andy Melnic

Over and over again, I saw people in tears, moved by an energy that was inexplicable but real, powerful but gentle. – Victoria Ewart

The power of the relics was accessible by anyone. It was universal. For me, this was the true miracle of the tour. – Victoria Ewart

The Relic Tour is one way to bring world peace, by changing people’s minds. As His Holiness the Dalai Lama says, outer peace through inner peace. That’s the purpose of holy beings leaving relics. – Lama Zopa Rinpoche

People enjoyed the relics so much, generated so much devotion. Devotion is the source – from devotion come blessings, from blessings come realisations. . . – Lama Zopa Rinpoche

We all have buddha-nature. We all have the potential to generate holy relics. – Lama Zopa Rinpoche

Relic of Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö, 1893–1959

Relics are the Manifestation of the Realisations of Holy Beings

When the bodies of accomplished meditators are cremated, sometimes pearl-like crystals are found among their ashes. Tibetans call them ringsel; in Sanskrit, śarīra.

According to Lama Zopa Rinpoche, in The Kalachakra Tantra there are detailed descriptions of the intimate relationship between internal and external energies – “internal” referring to consciousness, or mind, which in Buddhism is considered not physical, and “external” referring to the physical. According to the Tantrayana Buddhist worldview, the subtle consciousness of a person is inextricably connected to the subtle physical energies – air, or wind, energy – that flow through a system of 72,000 subtle physical channels in the body – “the mind rides on the winds,” as the Tibetans would say. The elaborate Tibetan Buddhist medical system is based on this model.

When the mind of the practitioner is loving or compassionate or wise, for example, this just naturally impacts upon the subtle winds, purifying them and, in turn, purifying the grosser body of the practitioner, the body that we can see, making it a holy thing in itself, giving it the power of healing, of benefiting anyone who touches it, even sees it. After death, these purified subtler physical energies can manifest as pearl-like crystal relics.

Thus it is said that the meditator’s spiritual realisations of wisdom and compassion physically manifest in the form of the relics. (The Power of Holy Relics.)

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Blood relics of Shakyamuni Buddha, c.563–c.484 BCE